The 7-3 Chicago Bears confirmed they'll need to continue their surge toward an NFC playoff berth without starting quarterback Jay Cutler, who suffered a broken right thumb in Sunday's 31-20 home victory over San Diego.

"He'll be out for an extended period of time," coach Lovie Smith said in his Monday night press conference. "The plan now is for him to have surgery on his thumb, soon."

Smith also said the team, as expected, will go with backup Caleb Hanie as Culter's replacement for the foreseeable future. Hanie will get the nod starting with Week 12's tough road matchup with the Oakland Raiders. The Bears also will be looking to a sign a veteran quarterback to give Hanie support on the roster.

Smith also expressed the Bears are confident they can give Hanie the needed support on the field, leaning more heavily on Matt Forte and the running game. He also pointed to their defense and special teams playing at a high level during their current five-game winning streak.

"Don't feel sorry for us, we have a lot great things in place," Smith said. "We're going to miss a great player. The plan is to get (Cutler) back at the latter part of the regular season."

Asked what he expected from Hanie in Cutler’s absence in an interview with Chicago radio station WBBM-AM 780 on Monday morning, Smith said, "Same play from our quarterback position."

Good luck with that. Hanie has never started an NFL game. Cutler had been playing superb football. The Bears are averaging 32.2 points per game during their winning streak, and he had thrown just one interception over his last three games.

Cutler’s injury is a major blow for the Bears, who must rally around Hanie as they attempt to make the playoffs.